NRL agree to Bronco-Warriors time
reshuffle

The NRL has agreed to bring the kick-off to the Broncos-Warriors match in round two - at Suncorp Stadium - forward by an hour to 7.30pm.
When the NRL initially announced the first five weeks of the 2005 NRL draw, the Broncos-Warriors encounter was the third scheduled in a trio of live matches to be screened on Fox on Saturday, March 19. With daylight saving still operating on that weekend, the Broncos-Warriors clash was to have kicked off in Brisbane at 8.30pm and beamed live in to NSW at 9.30pm (EDST), following the Raiders-Knights clash (5.30pm) and the Dragons-Storm (7.30pm).

However, as the result of a request from Broncos managing director Bruno Cullen, the NRL has agreed to a delayed telecast, with a more "considerate" kick-off time of 7.30pm.

"I can understand the thinking of the NRL and Fox in endeavouring to promote this as a live triple header, but as a club we had grave reservations about the scheduling working for us," Mr Cullen said.

"In fact as soon as the first five weeks of the draw were released, we received immediate negative feedback from our season members and corporates, who thought the kick-off was too late. Needless to say the players and coaching staff were not happy either.

"Put simply, our management team did not believe this timeslot would work and, with an 8.30pm kick-off, we would struggle to attract a crowd. Traditionally the Warriors have a strong following in the south-east corner and we did not want to jeopardise that support."

Mr Cullen thanked the NRL for their consideration of his request and said it was now "full steam ahead" for the Broncos marketing, memberships and operations teams as Season 2005 beckons.
The Broncos first five games for Season 2005 are:
Sunday, March 13 V NQ Cowboys (2pm EST) at Suncorp Stadium
Saturday, March 19 V NZ Warriors (7.30pm EST) at Suncorp Stadium
Friday, March 25 V Sydney Roosters (6.30pm EST) at Aussie Stadium
Saturday, April 2 V Melbourne Storm (5.3pm EST) at Olympic Stadium
Sunday, April 10 V Parramatta Eels (2.30pm EST) at Suncorp Stadium